The present invention relates to a cylinder carrier, and more particularly to a portable cylinder carrier arrangement for gas cylinders such as mixed gas cylinders, compressed air cylinders, oxygen cylinders, CO2 cylinders, and acetylene cylinders. The present invention provides a method for safer and more orderly storage and transport of such cylinders by compartmentalizing such cylinders during transportation and storage within said carrier.
In today""s society, as Americans desire more leisure time and wish to spend their leisure time leading an active lifestyle, one such outlet is diving. This sport attracts more people every year. In addition, there is more exploration of the seas for both research and commerce. Not only are more people diving, but more often, and for longer periods of time. Commensurate with this increased activity is an increased use of compressed air cylinders for these dives. This corresponds to a need for a safer and more organized method of storage and transport for these cylinders.
Gas cylinders are not limited to holding compressed air, but may hold other gases, such as oxygen nitrous oxide, or acetylene, for example. Up to now, there is no uniform method for storing, or transporting as cylinders of often, volatile or compressed gases. Presently, businesses or individuals often store these cylinders by simply standing them next to each other. This lends them susceptible to being knocked over by an errant vehicle, or clumsy individual. Even cordoning them off with ropes may not be adequate to keep them from toppling if nudged.
Alternatively, these cylinders are often placed on top of each other, horizontally, and kept from rolling away by using some sort of barriers to keep them bunched up together. This method may lead to a disorganized jumble of cylinders.
In particular, for private use, individuals often store these cylinders in their homes or garages. The cylinders are often located in areas that are reachable by small children, or may be jarred by a car, or the toppling of other items. The danger is a risk of damage to not only the cylinder itself, but also to other property or people should the cylinder fall on anything, or the cylinder valve pops off.
Not only are current storage methods dangerous, but also present modes of transporting the compressed gas cylinders are dangerous. For companies that use many cylinders, for acetylene torching, for example, the cylinders may be stacked in trucks, horizontally or vertically. Individuals, such as divers, may have cylinders rolling around in the trunks of their cars or the flatbeds of their trucks. In either case, such transportation increases the risk of a cylinder rupture in the case of an accident, or from jostling, also increasing the risk that the top of the cylinder will shoot off in any direction from the resulting explosion of compressed air.
In the market for our carriers, there are few, if any, carriers or other restraints that accomplish the goals of safety and orderly storage and transport of such gas cylinders, while avoiding removal of the cylinders from the carrier. The existing methods are inadequate for bulk transpiration or storage of cylinders.
For examples, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,060,174 and 4,391,377 disclose the major prior arts of the portable cylinder carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,174 discloses rectangular boxes for holding oxygen cylinders individually. Each box holds one oxygen cylinder. It is comprised of four panels of equivalent size, and a top flap and a bottom flap. Inside is a tray upon which the cylinder may rest if the container is in a horizontal position. The container may be fixed together by attaching brackets and may be stacked or aligned in box like formations or side by side if desired. The box lacks any anchor or other mounting system to prevent it from sliding around during transport, or to affix the box in a storage area. Rather, the key supposed advantage of the box is the ability to stack them, with the boxes resting in a horizontal position.
In addition, each box requires assembly by the consumer, to attach the shells together require further assembly by the consumer of the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,377 discloses a transport container. The self-contained double tubular transport container of this patent suspends two cylinders between two end pieces, then allows for the double container to be mounted to another double container via welded T-frames. The containers are attached side by side and may lay completely horizontal, or vertical. The purpose of the assembly is to relive the stress on cylinders by suspending the cylinders during storage. This invention is inferior to that of the present invention in that the cylinders must be mounted and screwed into place in order for the entire assembly to be transportable, requiring additional time to prepare the entire assembly for transportation. In addition, no provision is made to attach the assembly to the means for transportation, or to anything else when the container might be stored. Lastly, this storage method does not efficiently use space, sacrificing such efficiency of use in favor of reducing stress on a cylinder.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a portable cylinder carrier arrangement for the secure transport and storage of fire extinguishers or cylindrical gas cylinders, allowing for the carrier to be easily moved from a mounted storage position to a mounted transport position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable cylinder carrier arrangement which is easy to assemble, easy to mount, and easy to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable cylinder carrier arrangement that secures at least one cylinder to the base of a transport vehicle to prevent the cylinder from rolling around in the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable cylinder carrier arrangement that may be used to orderly stack cylinders for storage while preventing sliding, or rolling of the cylinders.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable cylinder carrier arrangement which may be mounted, putting the cylinder filled carrier out of the way of people, and other objects which may cause damage to the cylinders, or create an accident by popping the valves of the cylinders.
In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a portable cylinder carrier arrangement for safely storing and transporting at least one gas cylinder. The portable cylinder carrier comprises a storing apparatus affixed on a storage surface; a carrier seat having at least one receiving chamber therein for holding a gas cylinder; a restraining means for securing said gas cylinder in the receiving chamber of the carrier seat; and a securing means for securing the carrier seat to the storing apparatus.
Accordingly, the present invention requires very little assembly. The invention does not contain an excessive number of parts. In addition, the present invention may be mounted without removal of the cylinders inside, thereby allowing greater stability when transporting, greater use of space when storing, and greater ease when moving the cylinders from place to place. One may simply pick up the container filled portable cylinder carrier from its storage place, and attach it to brackets located in the trunk of a vehicle or in the back of a pickup truck, or the back or side of a boat, etc., for quick and easy transport.
The portable cylinder carrier of the present invention is a low cost, detachable carrier that can be quickly mounted and removed from any transport vehicle, or storage location, without removing the cylinder or cylinders from the carrier. The cylinders themselves may also be placed into, or easily removed from the carrier without moving the carrier. Placement and removal is therefore faster and more efficient. The owner has the option of stacking the carriers, or mounting them for secure transport, or safe storage away from any children or other items. This product provides a long felt need in the market for a detachable, mountable portable cylinder carrier, usable by the average person without complicated construction or complicated directions for use.